Glee Season 1 Episode 20 Review

This week opens with Tina and Mr. Schuester in Pricipal Figgins office.  She’s in trouble because she is wearing the ‘Goth’ look.  Seems as though ‘Twilight’ fever has taken over the school and kids are dressing and acting like Vampires.  Prinicipal Figgins tells Tina that she has to change the way she dresses and if she sees her dressing in goth attire again then she’ll be suspended.

At Kurt’s house… Finn’s mom is walking him into the basement as he has his eyes closed, so she can surprise him.  When he opens his eyes he’s surprised by Kurt and his dad standing there smiling and offering him sparkling cider.  Burt (Kurt’s dad) has asked Finn and his mom to move in with them.  Finn is pissed about it!  Not only does he not want to move in, but he also doesn’t want to share a room with Kurt.

The next day in class… Tina shows up in some jeans and a sweatshirt instead of her usual attire. The others try and help her find a new look by giving her suggestions of everything from hoodrat to cross country skier.  Rachel then comes storming in to tell them what she found out about Vocal Adrenaline.  She got this info by going through the dumpsters behind their auditorium.  she found 18 empty boxes for Christmas lights, which lead her to a fabric store.  At the fabric store she asked about red Chantilly lace and they were sold out.  As the others ooh and ahh in shock Mr. Schuester confusingly asks what it all means. Kurt tells him that they are doing GaGa. They feel that it’s over.  Mr. Scheuster gives them their assignment for the week.  Lady Ga Ga!

Later that day… Rachel, Mercedes and Quinn decide to go and spy on Vocal Adrenaline as they rehearse the dance moves for ‘Bad Romance’.  While the instructor is trying to tell them about ‘theatricality’ she decides to show them by performing ‘Funny Girl‘ by Barbara Streisand.  As she performs Rachel is mesmerized by her presentation and gets up to go down to the stage. By the end of the performance, Rachel is at the front of the stage as she tells Ms. Corcoran that she is her daughter.

After rehearsal… Rachel and (her mom) Ms. Corbin are sitting in the auditorium seats talking.  She tells Rachel that she knew it was the right time for Rachel to find her when she her extraordinary performance at sectionals.  Rachel asks her if it was hard to not become a star.  She tells her that it feels like a broken promise.  Ms. Corcoran begins to regret telling her because they both seem sad about it. She says that she is sorry and will call her before rushing off.

In Will’s Office… Finn comes to talk to Mr. Schuester while he’s learning all this amazing stuff about lady Gaga. Finn tells him that the guys don’t want to do lady Gaga and that they are always doing what the girls want to do.  Will agrees and decides that he should find something that the guys want to do, Finn already has an idea.

In the hall… Puck is trying to convince Quinn to name their daughter ‘Jack Daniels’.  She keeps telling him that she is giving up the baby.  Tina is dressed in a Gaga inspired champagne bubbles dress and outfit with Kurt dressed in a Gaga inspired Mozart fit.  As they walk down the hall, people stare and look in shock.  As they are walking two jocks push them into a locker. * This must be Kurt’s tipping point* Kurt says something to them and when they come back he says it’s okay to push him around but not a lady (Tina).  They quip back that lately they can’t tell the difference, saying that they aren’t ga ga for Gaga and how they ‘dress all freaky’ and then rub it in everyone’s faces. Kurt tells them that it’s about being theatrical and expressing who they are, the same as when they wear their football uniforms.  Their are just expressing themselves. As the confrontation is about to be over and the jocks are walking away, Kurt tells them not to be late for their appointment at super cuts, the jocks then tell him to watch his mouth Homo.  This leaves Tina and Kurt hurt and embarrassed.

Later at Glee rehearsal… The kids are showing off their Gaga attire.  When they notice that Rachel is missing, they begin to tell how they were spying on Vocal Adrenaline and Rachel found out that Ms. Corcoran is her biological mother leaving the others in shock.  they think that Rachel is going to leave them for Vocal Adrenaline but their wrong.  A soon as they say something she walks in telling them that she won’t leave and that her dads have moved the therapist into the spare room at their house.  They decide to focus on Rachel’s family issue a little later and focus on the songs as they break into a Glee performance of ‘Bad Romance‘ by Lady Gaga. *It’s not half bad. I like it.*

Later in the Bathroom… Finn is getting hassled by the same two jocks that hassled Tina and Kurt earlier.  They think that Glee is gay and him being a jock and being in Glee makes him bisexual.  they begin to push and shove one another.  Before leaving they tell him to get out of their bathroom, because the girls belong across the hall.

At Vocal Adrenaline rehearsal… As they are taking a break after a run through, Rachel comes to her to ask for her help in sewing a Gaga outfit because her dads can’t sew.

Later in the auditorium… Rachel shows up with a new Gaga inspired outfit.  When the others comment on it she tells them that her mom helped her. As they get settled Mr. Schuester decides to introduce the guys performance.  They are on stage dressed as Kiss and perform ‘Shout it Out Loud‘.

Later in the hall… Kurt and Tina are walking down the hall talking about the guy’s performance when they run into the same bullies again. And back them into a wall.

Later that evening… Kurt and Finn are in their room, as Kurt is repairing his damaged outfit and Finn is cleaning off his Kiss makeup he asks Finn to talk to the jocks about not messing up his outfit the next time they harass him.  Finn says that he won’t because it’s already hard enough that people think that they are dating.  He then goes on to say that he doesn’t understand why Kurt has to make such a spectacle of himself and that he should just try to blend it. It would be easier on him.  As Finn goes back to taking off the makeup, Kurt comes over to give him some advice and help him take it off when Finn begins to spaz  out and slaps Kurt’s hand away telling him not to touch him! Realizing that he overreacted and embarrassed he finishes taking off his make up in the laundry room. Kurt yells at him to grow up!

In Will’s Office… Ms. Corcoran is explaining to him that she knows why he called her and that her reconnection with Rachel is not a plot to mess with them before regionals.  Will isn’t worried about regionals, he’s worried about Rachel’s emotional state.  He just wants to know if she is as commited to it as Rachel.  Even though she can’t have any kids because of some medical problems she doesn’t feel that Rachel needs her.  Will tells her that he feels that she needs to tell Rachel.

In Kurt and Finn’s room… Kurt is showing Finn the room he redecorated so that he would like it and feel more at home.  It’s a Morrocan themed room.  Finn tells him that he is insane if he thinks he can live in that room.  Kurt doesn’t understand why Finn is getting so upset about it. Finn says that he doesn’t want to dress in front of him and such. He knows that Kurt has a crush on him and feels uncomfortable about it.  Kurt begins to become frustrated and yells that ‘it’s just a room Finn!! We can redecorate it if you want to!’ Finn cracks and shows his homophobic side and begins to go off on a tantrum!  sayiing things like ‘ first we need to get id of the faggy lamp, and then this faggy couch’! He i interrupted by Kurt’s dad as he comes down stairs and rips into him!!  He confronts him about using the word Fag and how it is horrible! He makes him feel like crap, he thought Finn might have been different from the others but he sees that he’s not.  He then tells Finn that he can’t stay there, he loves his mom and if that costs his relationship then so be it because his family comes first and he can’t have that kind of poison around. ‘Out in the world you do what you want but not under my roof’.  Finn leaves the basement embarrassed and ashamed with his head down.  Kurt’s dad then turns to him before going back upstairs to tell him that the place looks great.

The next day at school… During Glee rehearsal, Finn tells Kurt he wants to talk about what happened but Kurt doesn’t. When he says that he thought Finn was different, he tells him that he is different.  While Mr. Schuester is preparing to talk about something, Puck walks in.  He has something that he wants to say to Quinn and wants everyone else to hear.  His dad wasn’t there for him, but he wants to be there for his child.  He then, along with they other guys, performs ‘Beth‘ by Kiss.  After the performance he tells Quinn that he would really like to be there when she’s born and even though she’s giving up the baby that she should name her Beth.

Later that day… Rachel is in the auditorium going over some notes when Ms. Corcoran comes in.  She says that she really wanted things to work.  She feels that it’s too late for them to have anything, it would just be too confusing.  they decide to be grateful for one another from a far for a while.  They give each other a tearful hug goodbye.  She then gives her a present.  A fancy cup with a star. *the cup is because Rachel said that when they first met she was thirsty. This is because whenever she was sad her fathers would bring her water. So now whenever she gets sad she gets thirsty.  Ms. Corcoran gave her the cup to remember her by whenever she gets sad.* Rachel asks that before she leaves if she’ll sing a song with her. They perform a jazzy rendition of Lady Gaga’s ‘Poker Face‘. *Excellent performance!! Probably the best of the night! Their voices accompany one another’s very well.*

The next day in class… Mr. Schuester walks in to his surprise to find everyone in their costumes.  They found out the lesson for the week from Tina, as she walks in dressed in her goth attire, was that you shouldn’t dress like something you’re not to be like something you’re not and that’s its okay to be a little theatrical. they flash to a scene of Principal Figgins coming down the hall only to see Tina dressed in full vampire gear. She tells him that her dad is the king of all vampires and that Asian vampires are the most vicious of all vampires.  If he doesn’t let her wear her goth clothes then her dad will fly into his bedroom and bite his face because he’s really pissed!   After that Artie realizes and asks where Kurt and Finn are…

In the Hall…Kurt is being harassed by the two jocks and about to get beat up when Finn shows up superhero style and says that they aren’t going to hit anyone. He is dressed in a lady Gaga Red rubber dress!!  He tells Kurt that he still has a lot to learn but wants to thank Kurt for helping him realize his faults.  As the jocks begin towards Kurt, the other Glee members show up as support.  Realizing that they are outnumbered they leave.  For now.  Rachel says that she is tired of people always calling them freaks, Finn tells them that they are all freaks together and should not have to hide it.  They decide to go back in the room to practice for regionals, ending this episode.

North Korea Is Through With South Korea

So I’ve been following the situation with North Korea (click here) for a little while now and this new move surprisingly doesn’t come as much of a shock to me.  I knew that eventually Kim Jong Il was going to declare some type of act of war against the South.  It was written on the wall.  This latest move just solidified it for me.  Check it out here. This move came after south Korea announced and made public their report that showed evidence that North Korea sunk one of their Naval warships killing 147 people, also announcing that they would be cutting some of their trades and denying permission for the North Korea cargo ships to pass through their waters.  Kim Jung Il is not one to take this lying down.  He has threaten military action because of this and we already know that he’s capable of doing damage.  Here’s a report and proof of them sinking a South Korean Warship back in March.  Click here for the story.

The statement from North Korea announcing that it is severing ties with the South is here.

South Korea is already readying their troops as well, just as a precaution. President Obama has already told his military commanders to be prepared for a response in case something does happen.  so I ask again, do you feel that we can fight two wars on two different continents effectively?

W.O.W. Fever Pitch

I’m sitting here at Urgent Care with Brooklyn because Boogie is sick. Since my battery is about to die I’ll make this short and sweet. Life doesn’t always go according to our own plans. When life throws you a curve, simply stand at that plate, keep your eyes on the ball and knock it out of the park.

Glee Season 1 Episode 19 Review

This episode begins with Will being summoned to Principal Figgins’ office.  While there he is introduced to the newest member of the school board.  His arch rival Bryan Ryan *played by Neil Patrick Harris*.  Apparently he made Will’s life a living hell in high school by getting every solo in the Glee Club as well as every girl he wanted.  He is there to audit the school’s budget and cut some of the extra curricular programs.  He’ll most likely cut the Glee Club.  He has turned a leaf since his show choir days and now for four nights a week he runs a show choir conversion group that The new teacher Brenda *Molly Shannon*from last week is in it.  He wants to speak to the group.  Though Will objects, Principal Figgins makes him.

In the choir room…  Will introduces Bryan Ryan to the kids. As he begins his speech he tells them to take out a piece of paper and write down a dream that they have that means so much that they can’t admit to anyone else.  He then takes that paper and throws it away telling them that the dream will never happen.  91% of them will spend their lives living in their same county.  *He’s just a major Debbie Downer the entire time*.  Will kicks him out because of this.

In the library… Tina comes over to help Artie reach a book and they begin to talk about their future.  She tells him that she saw what he wrote on the paper when she went back to get her book bag.  Artie wanted to be a dancer.  To cheer him up she decides that since Mr. Scheuster was too busy with Bryan Ryan to give them an assignment that they could do one on their own. A dance number.

At a dance studio… Rachel is practicing her ballet.  As she spins around she sees Jesse St. James.  They begin talking about what her real dream is.  As they talk and walk down the hall she reveals that her real dream is to meet her mom.  Jesse says that they should find her and he won’t stop until they do.

In the choir room… Artie and Tina are practicing their dance routine.  It doesn’t go well at first.  Frustrated, Artie stops the practice and asks Tina to hand him some crutches that he received from a kid with cerebral palsy.  She helps him up out of the chair and he tries to walk.  He takes a step and then falls.  Defeated and embarrassed, he tells Tina to go away and that she pushed him to try it.  She says that she is sorry and leaves him there.

In the Home Ec room…  Will finds Bryan doing inventory on the Home Economics supplies.  He offers to buy him a beer and/or convince him that he is wrong about the Glee Club.

Back in the library…  Rachel comes up to Jesse to let him know that she has found her mother. After doing some research she thinks that her mother is Broadway legend Patty Lupone.  Rachel believes this to be true because of the roles and songs that she sung.  After doing the math to see if it is possible, she believes it is.  Her birthday is December 18, 1994.  1994 was a big year for Patty.  She did a show in Akron, Ohio 9 months before she was born.  When Jesse questions her theory she asks him if he wants to see proof that Bernadette Peters is her mother.  She just doesn’t want to find out that her mother was some teenager that got pregnant like Quinn or just some girl that would give up her daughter for some money.  He wants to do a real investigation, like CSI.  Her fathers have kept every single piece or paper related to her in a file cabinet in her basement.  They start there.

In a Bar… Will and Bryan are at the having some beers and talking.  As they make small talk Will says that all the girls wanted Bryan.  Bryan doesn’t agree. When pressed by will as to which girl got away he says that it was Terri *Will’s soon to be ex wife*causing Will to almost chokes on his drink!  He tells Bryan that he married her and that it just didn’t work out.  He goes on to tell him that music and the glee club helped him get over the hurt.  After this, Bryan begins to cry and tells him that he’s living a lie.  he still loves Music and performing.  3 times a year he tells his wife that he is on a business trip and sneaks off to New York to see a bunch of Broadway shows.  he even has a box of Playbills hidden in his basement, like porn.  Will is perplexed by this and gets an idea.  He goes over to the jukebox and begins to play ‘Piano Man‘ By Billy Joel.  This is what Bryan Ryan sang as his solo for sectionals and wants him to sing it again there to cheer him up.  After the first few bars he begins to sing along.  The two make it a duet as they sing karaoke style.  Afterwards, Will tells him that he should give it another shot and that the local theatre company is holding open auditions for Les Mis *one of my favorite plays. I remember going to see it om Broadway with my high school Choir on a trip to New York my Junior or Senior year. Shouts to Sumter High School Choir, We the best!!!!*  and that they should both try out. 

The next day… Tina catches up to Artie and apologizes to him about what happened the day before.  Artie apologizes as well for his reaction.  She tells him that she did some research on new ways to treat spinal cord injuries.  She just doesn’t want him to give up on his dream.

At Rachel’s house…  Rachel and Jesse are going through some of the things that she brought up from the basement.  While Rachel is not looking, Jesse slips a tape into one of the boxes and pretends that he found it there.  The tape is titled “From mother to daughter”.  He goes to play the tape but she stops him because she doesn’t think that she’s ready yet and asks him to leave.

At the Open Audition…  Will and Bryan are getting prepared and find out that they are trying out for the same part and are planning to sing the same song.  As they argue the director then tells them to sing it as a duet.  They decide on ‘Dream On‘ By Aerosmith.  After this stellar performance the director walks out and says that they’ll let them know.

Later at the mall… Artie buys a pair of tap shoes. As they going around Tina asks if he wants a pretzel, since they are upstairs he waits for her to return.  Before she goes he tells her to wait because he wants to tell her something.    He went to the doctor and started on some of the treatments in the research that she gave him.  It’s beginning to work!  He puts both of his feet on the ground and  as he helps him up he begins to walk, to her amazement.  He walks over to the stereo and turns the music up and begins to dance! Break dance and hip hop at that!!! He’s a part of a flash mob  similar to this  *Seems to good to be true right?*  Actually that was only a vision or dream that Artie wanted to happen, as they cut back to a scene of him sitting in his wheelchair alone while waiting on Tina’s return.

In Coach Sylvester’s office… She tells Bryan that she thought he would have put an end to the glee club.  *He seems to have other plans*as he tells her of his return to the stage in Les Mis, he has decided to examine not just the glee club but all of the extra curricular activities and her Cheerios budget is way out of control.  He has done some research and discovered that music and the arts help kids learn.  She quips back that 1/3 of American teenagers are obese and only 2% of high schools require any form of daily physical activity. She goes on to say that sports teaches teamwork, problem solving, and social skills.  She feels that what she does makes a difference.  Bryan seems to be turned on by her and they decide to go to her secret room upstairs *like Letterman* and have sex.  He’s still cutting half her budget though.

Later that night…  Jesse gets into the car with his old instructor and tells her that Rachel has the tape but won’t listen to it.  he has started to actually like her.  He doesn’t seem to understand why she can’t just go up to Rachel and tell her that she’s her mom. * Yep!! The Vocal Adrenaline instructor is Rachel’s mom!! They actually do look alike.*She says that she can’t because of a contract that she signed stating that she can’t contact her until she turns 18.  Rachel can only contact her, that’s why she wants her to listen to the tape.  She feels that once she hears it she will have no choice but to come and find her.  She then goes on to tell him about how she came to be Rachel’s mom.  she answered an ad in the paper.  For 9 month’s work she would have enough money to live in New York for 2 years.  She eventually failed as an actress, and her only regret is giving up Rachel.

In Miss Pillsbury’s office… Artie goes to see Miss Pillsbury because he’s going to need help adapting to his new lifestyle once he begins walking.  He gives her the research to look over.  She breaks the news that it may not happen because his injury is irreversible and even if it’s not, the research is in it’s infancy and probably could take at least 10 years before it can even be tested on humans.  Before he leaves feeling rejected, she tells him that maybe they should start meeting once a week anyway.

In glee practice… Bryan tells the club that he took some of the money from the Cheerio budget and bought them new costumes because he feels that the arts matter.  He gives them some custom made denim jackets, tear away dance wear and sheet music from every Broadway show for the last 50 years.  The kids as well as Mr. Scheuster are shocked at his change.  Coach Sylvester comes into the room to congratulate Will.  He thinks it’s because of the new things but it’s only to tell him that he won the role in the play over Bryan. He is clearly upset about not getting the lead part and decides that he is going to cut the Glee club.

At the Theatre… Will confronts Bryan to try and have him reconsider cutting the program.  He goes on to tell him that the kids may not be stars but they shine like them. If he cuts the program he is not only cutting out their lights but creating 13 black holes.  He then tells him that he wants him to take his lead part so that he can remember what it’s like to be a star.  They strike a deal, if Will gives him the part then he won’t cut the program.

In Rachel’s room… As she is coming out of the bathroom, she sees Jesse queuing up the tape.  he feels that she’ read to hear it, presses play and leaves.  As the tape starts and Rachel hears her mother’s voice she sits down on the bed nervously.  her mother begins to sing ‘I Dreamed a Dream‘ from Les Mis, also sung by Susan Boyle on the tape as well as inter-cut scenes with Rachel on stage.

Later at school… Artie is telling Tina that she should find another partner to dance with and that he has come to the conclusion that he will never walk again and that he’s okay with it and he’ll still sing his part just no dancing.  Mr. Scheuster tells the others about Bryan not cutting the program because he traded his part so that they could keep the club. He then asks Tina to come up to perform.  The final performance of the night is the club on stage in a dress rehearsal for regional.  Artie begins to sing ‘Dream a little Dream of Me‘ originally sung by Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong but most recently remade by Michael Buble.

Money Is No Object

As I read this article on CNN about women earning more than men I began to think about my own situation.  According to the article more women are out earning their spouses, at times they may make double the amount.  This can be attributed to a number of things.  One of the major things is that more women are getting advanced degrees than men are. Another issue is the economy and unemployment.  More men are being laid off then their female counterparts.  In my experience, when you get laid off, then most of the time you’re looking to find some type of work whether its more or less than you  were making before.  You just want some type of income to help take care of the household until you can get something better.  this may also lead to the disparagement in pay. He may find that less paying job and work his way back to what he was making before or higher.  since he was laid off then he is essentially starting over, while she is consistently moving forward.

I have no problem with my wife making more money than I do.  It all goes into the same pot right? Right.  I can honestly admit that while I make a decent salary, my Wife’s salary is almost double.  The fact that I am not just slumming it and I am actually attempting to make things better by working as well as going to school, its not seen as such a big obstacle to us.

Though it is not a major obstacle, this can cause stress.  When one person is bearing the weight of the finances things can become tense.  While I feel that I contribute, because I don’t make as much as she does it is not an equal distribution.  Now if a woman is consistently throwing it in her husband’s face that she is the breadwinner and he is somehow beneath her because he makes less than her, that is when the problems begin. When things get tight communication is always key.

I know that tradition and society dictates that the man is supposed to be the head of the household.  That entails bringing home the ‘bacon’ and the wife cooking it.  As times change so do those traditions.  Now it’s more likely that both the husband and the wife work, or the wife could work while the husband stays at home.  The roles and responsibilities are now shared as opposed to one person making all the rules.

While some men may feel emasculated by this, I think that it’s great that women are out there earning money and bringing it into the household, even if it is more than her male counterpart.

Glee Season 1 Episode 18 Review

This episode begins from the point of view of  an unknown student as he/she walks down a busy school hallway. The other students are all looking at this student shockingly.  As the unknown student enters the practice room it is revealed that the student is Puck.  Why is everyone looking at him so crazy? He has cut his signature Mohawk because his mother found a mole on him when she was washing his hair and freaked out.  She sent him to the dermatologist who then cut his hair to get a closer look.  Turns out it wasn’t anything major.  It was a freckle.  Now he feels that he’s lost all of his strength.  After school, the nerds gang up on him because without his hair he has no more ‘juice’.  Puck then begins to think of ways to become cool again and thinks that if he dates a Cheerio this will happen.  He chooses Mercedes as his target.

Meanwhile, Rachel pulls out an old lady’s medicine cabinet worth of vitamins and other assortments.  She explains to Mr. Scheuster that she is tired all of the time because everything that she sings is a solo.  The other members are horrible.  She even went as far as to have the choir room bugged.  She compiles a list of the members that she feels are not pulling their weight.  It’s half the club.

In the Hall… Puck approaches Mercedes at her locker.  He tells her that he has a proposition to make.  He’s done some research and found out that Blacks and Jews  have a history of sticking up for each other and, according to Wikipedia, King Martin Luther loved the Jews.  His point is since she’s  popular now and he needs to spice up his image that they should join forces, stroking Mercedes’ arm while telling her that he likes a girl with curves.  Mercedes gives him a side-eye of death as she tells him that she is just not attracted to him and she knows what he does to the girls he dates.  They just aren’t compatible.  He’s top 40 while she’s Rhythm and Blues.

In the Choir room… Mr. Scheuster is telling the guys how disappointed he is in them.  Finn whispers to Rachel that he can’t believe that she told on them and she goes all defensive saying how she’s tired of carrying all of them with Regionals being in a month.  When asked why he stopped singing, Finn says that it’s because Mr. Scheuster gave all the male leads to Jesse and it shook his confidence.  Mr. Scheuster gives them their assignment to come up with a song that best describes where they are in their life right now.  He gives them all solos in an attempt to get their voice back.

As class ends… Kurt and Mercedes are walking out of the choir room talking about what songs they will choose when Kurt’s father enters.  He sees Kurt and speaks.  Kurt thinks something is wrong but the only reason his father is there is to pick up Finn and take him to a baseball game.  Kurt asks why he wasn’t invited.  Simply because he’s more interested in the uniforms and not the game.

Later in the choir room… Puck is still trying to get with Mercedes with lines like “Girl you got more curves than a Nissan ad”. Seriously?  As Mr. Scheuster comes in to get things started Rachel volunteers to go first.  She has chosen to perform “The Climb” by Miley Cyrus because it’s about overcoming obstacles and beating the odds which in her case is the rest of the glee club.  She performs horribly! All off key and pitch.  As she tries to fight through it, Mr. Scheuster stops her and tells her that he thinks that she’s lost her voice.

The next day at school… As Kurt is in the hall looking in the mirror, Coach Sylvester comes up and asks why he wasn’t at Cheerios practice.  He begins to talk to her about his relationship with his dad and how his sexuality may be causing a conflict.  She goes on to ask if he’s kissed a boy? No. Has he kissed a girl? No.  Then he doesn’t know what he is and he may not be gay just because he likes Show-tunes, he may just be awful.  She comes up with one sure person who can tell him who he is. Her.  She hasn’t quite made up her mind about him yet.  As he tries to continue the conversation about his Glee assignment she stops him and  leaves.

Later at Kurt’s house… Kurt’s dad comes down to the basement to see him and he’s dressed just like his father and tell shim he’s just working on his assignment to sing ‘Pink houses” by John Mellencamp.  His dad is kind of shocked.  When he finds out that Kurt thinks the song is about interior design, he explains that it’s really about how the 80′s was a tough time for people and that the American dream is not always what it’s cracked up to be.  Kurt suggests that they go grab a couple of burgers and talk more about it.  He leaves to go get his coat.

At the doctor’s office… Rachel is in the chair freaking out as she talks to Finn.  Just as Finn tells her that he’s not going to say that she’ll never sing again, the doctor walks in and tells her that she’ll never sing again.  It’s just a joke, and explains that it’s a case of severe tonsillitis that resulted in an inner ear infection.  She thinks that instead of him butchering her throat, rest and herbal tea will have the same effect.  He ensures that this is a very serious infection and gives her a prescription for antibiotics.  When she asks Finn what to do, he says that maybe she should as her boyfriend but oh wait, she can’t because he isn’t there.  He’s on spring break with his friends from Vocal Adrenaline.  Finn then asks her when will she realize that he’s not into her the way that he is?  She thinks that he’s jealous and that she still cares about Jesse deeply and knows that he feels the same about her.  As she goes behind the curtain to change out of the hospital gown, Finn starts to sing ‘Jessie’s Girl‘ by Rick Springfield.  This transitions into his performance for the Glee Assignment in the choir room.  After the performance, Mr. Scheuster is congratulating Finn and saying that he should be an inspiration to the others.

In The Choir room… After Finn’s performance Puck decides to go next.  For his performance he is accompanied by the black kids in the jazz band.  He goes on to say that since he’s shaved his Mohawk he’s seen things differently.  He recently joined a black church and downloaded every song by Sammy Davis Jr on iTunes.  He then goes on to perform Sammy Davis Jr’s ‘Lady is a Tramp‘.  This turns into a duet as Mercedes feels it and joins in.  After the song everyone is cheering except Santanna as she sits scowling and looking pissed off at Puck.

Later in the Hall… Everyone seems to be staring and admiring Mercedes as she walks.  When she turns the corner she sees Quinn at her locker and approaches her.  She tells Quinn that she’s not normally into guys like Puck especially since he’s the father of Quinn’s baby but something just came over her.  Quinn surprisingly tells her to go for it.  She realizes that she made a mistake by getting pregnant from him and that he’s an idiot.  At least if they start dating then she won’t have to deal with him and his insane theories anymore.  Like how Mario Bros. changed civilization.  She tells him that he is using her to regain his popularity.  She just doesn’t want Mercedes to get hurt.  Mercedes realizes what the situation is and has protected her heart.  While that’s all fine and dandy, Quinn isn’t worried about that, she is worried about her emotional state.  She’s more worried about her physical state and what Santanna is going to do to her.

In the choir room… As they start the next round of solos, Kurt goes first.  He walks in dressed in a plaid shirt, jeans and a hat like how his father would dress and begins to sing ‘Pink Houses‘ by John Mellencamp to a confused crowd.  After the performance, he asks Mr. Scheuster if anything is wrong.  Mr. Scheuster explains to him that the assignment was to define who they really are not who they think people want them to be.  He then tells him not to be someone he’s not just to please someone else.  As he’s leaving, the dumb Cheerio approaches him and says that she’s slept with every guy at school except him because she thought he was gay and that he should let her know when he’s ready to ‘tap’ that.

Later in the hall… Rachel is walking down the hall eating a bowl of cereal in a daze.  Finn sees her and asks if she’s sleep walking.  She says that she has been on the antibiotics for three days and hasn’t had any improvements which means she has to have the surgery and her life is over.  He tells her that he’s sick of her always feeling sorry for her self.  She feels that her voice is all she has without it she’s nothing. He then comes up with an idea for her to meet an old friend of his.

Later that night… Kurt and the cheerio Brittney are making out and he asks her what a boy’s lips taste like.  She says usually dip, burgers or her armpits.  for some reason kissing her armpits is a big turn-on for her.  As they go back to kissing, Kurt’s father comes downstairs.  He left a note on the door stating “do not disturb under any circumstances because I am downstairs making out with a girl”.  He then asks his father to respect his privacy because he and Brittney are going to have sex.  His father pulls him to the side and says that it has taken him months to come to realize and accept that he’s gay and now he’s not?  He’s a bit confused, telling Kurt that it’s okay for him to be whatever he wants to be, he’ll support him either way. then he leaves the two alone and goes back upstairs.

The next day at school… Puck is going on and on about how great Super Mario 3 is to Mercedes as she gets things out of her locker.  She tells him that she agreed to date him because they have musical chemistry but he needs to start trying to figure out things about her and stop constantly talking this video game nonsense.  She begins to tell him that she would like for him to get her a frozen coffee drink. As he walks away to get it, he notices that a nerd scared of him so he grabs him and slams him into a locker asking him what is going on.   The nerd then fearfully says that whatever he did, he’s sorry and gives Puck his lunch money. Puck tells him to put it away and asked why he didn’t look at him when he first walked by.  The nerd then goes on the tell him that now that he’s dating Mercedes his cool meter is off the charts and he’s back to normal.  Mercedes sees how he looks at Santanna as she walks down the hall.

Mercedes calls Santanna, who is standing right next to her by the way, as they do their own rendition of ‘The Boy is Mine‘ by Brandy and Monica.  This transitions between different scenes in the hall, classes, and the choir room.  By the end of the performace the two girls are about ready to throw down! Mr. Scheuster has to break them up.

After school… Mercedes sees Puck and his friends dumping some kids into the trash.  She tells him that no man of hers is going to be doing things like this.  He explains to her that this is the order of things and that she needs to accept them for the way they are because now they are a part of the system at the top of the heap.

Later in the afternoon… Finn and Rachel arrive to see the person Finn wanted her to see.  He’s a guy that Finn met at football camp named Sean.  Rachel seems confused about what is going on so Sean explains his situation.  it’s the third game of the season and he is paralyzed from the upper chest down by a tackle.  He then asks about her voice.   He then goes on to tell of how he tried to kill himself by driving his wheelchair into the swimming pool only to be saved by his mother.  He goes on to tel her that he’s miserable but that he has other stuff going on, and he’s good at more than one thing.  His mother interrupts because it’s time for his physical therapy.  Rachel thanks him before leaving and realizes that even if she does lose her voice, it’s not the end of the world and that she can do other things.

The next day at school… Puck asks Mercedes why she isn’t wearing her Cheerios uniform.  She quit because it’s not who she is.  She wasn’t being true to who she is.  She feels that he isn’t being true to himself either when he picks on the dweebs at the school.

Also walking the halls… Kurt and Brittney are walking through holding hands to the shock of all the other students.  His father is back at school to pick up Finn to take him for some hoagies and motocross.  When asked why he wasn’t invited his dad says that Finn is going through some things but they hang out as much as he wants just not tonight.  Kurt then breaks into his version of ‘Rose’s Turn‘ By Bette Midler from the play ‘Gypsy’ as he walks down the hall transitioning into him performing it under a spotlight on the auditorium stage.  As he ends his performance his father is there clapping for him.  He tells him that he decided not to go with Finn so that he could hang out with him.  They have a touching moment as he tells him that he will love Kurt no matter what.

Later that evening… Rachel goes back to see Sean.  She came back to thank him for showing her that just because she can’t sing doesn’t mean that she can’t do something else.  To repay him she will give him voice lessons since he is interested in singing.  Her voice is back because of lots of antibiotics, herbal tea remedies and resting her voice.  She has to eventually get them taken out but for now she is okay.  They begin to sing ‘One‘ by U2 Featuring Mary J Blige. This then transitions from the two singing in his bedroom to the glee club performing this song together in a dress rehearsal in the auditorium for the last number of the night.

W.O.W. Run Or Get Run Over

I was watching 60 minutes on Sunday, like I do every Sunday, and Andy Rooney was doing his usual commentary. I usually tune him out but this time I actually took an interest and listened for some reason. He was saying how out of touch he is with today’s music. He didn’t know any of the top people on the Billboard charts. Not really surprising, I mean the man’s like 1,000 years old!
This moment, plus I just read ‘Death of A Salesman’ the other day, had me thinking. If you don’t change or keep up with what’s going on then you’ll be left behind and lost. Andy Rooney and the character Willy Loman both seem to be stuck in their own world. As if time has stood still just for them. They have lost their sense of reality. They often refer to how things used to be or shun new and improved ways of doing things.
You must either run or get ran over. Change is inevitable. Its going to happen whether you want it to or not. All a person can do is either accept or reject it. Change can be hard to accept but sometimes it is necessary. You can either change along with it or remain the same and fear being left behind or lost.

I’m just sayin’
Sincere

National Day of Prayer

Today is National day of Prayer. Repeat this simple yet effective prayer: “Thank you Lord for this day and the many blessings that have come my way. Without you Lord, I am nothing but through your grace I am something. Amen”.
Have a blessed day.

Glee Season 1 Episode 17 Review

This episode opens with Kurt, Artie, Mercedes, and Tina laughing as they look at a video in the practice room.  The video that they are watching is of Sue Sylvester reenacting the Olivia Newton-John video for “Physical“!  During the video Finn, Rachel, and Jesse walk in.  After seeing it Finn thinks it’s a good idea to post it on Youtube.  The others agree and Rachel seems to be the only one that has a problem with it.  Finn posts the video anyway.

Later in the hall…  By now the video has become viral and spread all over.  As Coach Sylvester walks the halls different students make comments or elude to the video.  When one of them does one of the dances she did in the video *the Cabbage Patch* she realizes what has happened.

In Principal Figgins’ Office… Will is sitting with Principal Figgins as Coach Sylvester tells them that the Glee club stole her private property and posted it on the internet, it had already received over 170,000 comments. when Mr. Scheuster tells her that his kids wouldn’t do this she hits them with a “Glist”, a Glee list that rates the members on their hotness on a weekly basis.  Principal Figgins thinks that this is very serious and he doesn’t find out who did it then he will have no choice but to expel the entire Glee Club.

In the Practice Room… Mr. Scheuster shows them the list and sternly asks who did it, informing them that if they don’t tell them Principal Figgins will disband the club.  They first believe that it’s Puck because his girlfriend is at the top of the list and Rachel is at the bottom.    They feel like their bad reputation is actually helping them because people don’t bother them as much.  He gives them their assignment of the week.  Find songs similar to “Ice Ice Baby” by Vanilla Ice * Which sold millions by the way.  You know you had that song on tape or CD and you probably know all the words too!!! I can’t front, I know I had it and know it word for word!!*,  find out how they work and to make them great.  He then performs his version of the song.

In The Teacher’s lounge…  As Coach Sylvester makes her grand entrance into the teacher’s lounge she is greeted by the other teacher and faculty pointing and laughing.  She tries to motivate herself by saying how great she is only to be interrupted by a new teacher.  Brenda Castle, being played by Saturday Night Live Alum Molly Shannon.  She just transferred from a school in Indiana because she is not allowed to teach there because of her drug problem.  she begins to clown Coach Sylvester because of her video.  She then joins the other staff as they continue to laugh at coach Sylvester until she angrily storms out.

Later in the hall… As Artie and Rachel are walking to class she tells him she needs some help from the A/V club.  Since she is at the bottom of the “Glist” she wants to reevaluate her image.  She wants to change her image from a good girl to the Worst.

Later on… Kurt calls a meeting with Artie, Tina, and Mercedes to talk about their reputations.  They decide that since they aren’t even on the list they should do like a normal “C” list celebrity would do and cause a scandal so extreme that they can no longer be ignored.  They decide to stage a disruption in the library.

After School… Sue Sylvester is talking to her sister about being humiliated at school and how horrible she felt.  Her sister reminds her that when they felt bad as kids they would help at the animal shelter, because there is always someone who has it worse than you *Message!!*

In Miss Pillsbury’s Office…  Coach Sylvester decides that she will become Miss Pillsbury’s new therapist.  This is her attempt to give back to someone less fortunate.  She then goes on to point out all her faults as well as tell her that Mr. Scheuster made out with the teacher from Vocal Adrenaline and about April’s Sleepover sessions.  How does she know? She put baby monitors under his couch and bed!  Of course, Miss Pillsbury is crushed.  Before she can even gather herself from this news coach Sylvester stands up  and tells her that she sucks and that she needs to grow a pair.  She does this to help her stand up for herself.  She tells her that she needs to tell Mr. Scheuster how she feels in a public place so that he can’t escape or manipulate her.

In Rachel’s Room… Rachel tells Puck that she wants him to help her with her assignment.  She wants them to act out “Run Joey Run” by David Geddes.  He then asks her if she believes that he made the Glist and goes on to say how he’s tired of people stereotyping him for a few mistakes that he’s made.  As they compare stories, they begin to make out but Rachel stops.  Puck then says that whoever made the list will put her at number 1 for cheating on her boyfriend Jesse *which makes me believe that Puck made the Glist all along* he then lays it on thick when he says that Jesse will never fully understand her because he’s not Jewish.  She stops again so Puck decides to leave but she asks him to stay and work on the project so he agrees.

The next day at School… Coach Sylvester drags Miss Pillsbury to the teacher’s lounge to confront Mr. Scheuster but she isn’t able to go in out of fear of them laughing at her again.  At they stand in the hall Ms. Castle comes out to poke even more fun at Coach Sylvester.  As Emma looks on nervously, they begin to argue back and forth.  After the confrontation, Emma goes in to talk to Will. He is talking to an older faculty member when she interrupts.  He asks her to give him a second.  Emma then loudly says that she will not  give him a second and he will have to reschedule his heavy petting session for a later time! Will is shocked! Seems that the older faculty member was just telling him how her husband had just died and he was consoling her. *oops!!* Emma just keeps going as she suggests that he’s trying to get with this lady “fresh off the rebound” and how “nobody’s safe!!”  He says he wants to talk to her in private but she doesn’t want to and proceeds to put all of their business out there for everyone to hear.  About how she has been seeing a therapist about her OCD so that they can be together only to find out about the different women that he has been messing around with.  She says that she is putting her foot down and will not take it anymore then proceeds to call him a slut over and over and says it’s over.  After this outburst she says she is very sorry to the older lady for her loss and then walks out leaving Will standing there embarrassed and confused.

later on in the Library… They show Kurt, Artie, Tina, Mercedes, and the dumb Cheerio spy dressed in hammer pants as they sneak into the library.  What do they plan to do? Yep, MC Hammer’s “Can’t Touch This” Utter hilarity!!  The idea was kind of dumb though.  the funny thing is that they thought they would get in trouble but the old librarian lady thought is was cute and is going to talk to her pastor about them performing that at Sunday service.

Later at school… Mr. Scheuster is interrogating Finn about who made the list and how to stop a new one from coming out.  Finn is all fidgety and nervous as he tells him that he doesn’t know anything.  He goes one to interrogate each member of the club.  Afterwards, the Hammer crew comes to terms that they can’t shake their reputation and need to come clean about posting the video.  If they get suspended for it then the entire student body will then see them as bad asses.

In Coach Sylvester’s Office… Coach Sylvester is writing in her diary about how her video has just surpassed 3 milion hits and she doesn’t know how much longer she can deal with the humiliation.  She then wonders if this is karma from the way she treated people.  As she pauses to think about it, she gets a phone call.  The person on the other end is Olivia Newton -John!   At first Sue doesn’t believe it,  hangs up on her and continues to write i her diary about how she is going to play nice full time.  The phone rings again.  With a little apprehension, she answers the phone.  It is Olivia Newton – John, once again Sue doesn’t believe her and tells her to sing something.  After singing a piece of “Physical”, Coach Sylvester realizes that it is really her.  She goes on to tell Coach Sylvester that  she saw her video and wanted to know why she made it.  she then tells Coach Sylvester that she botched the original video and thinks that Coach Sylvester can save it.  She plans to be in Ohio the next day for an event and wants to meet up with her.

Later in the hall… Will is walking down the hall and the students are pointing and making different types of gestures at him.  He looks confused as Coach Sylvester walks past him calling him a man-whore.  The new teacher, Ms. Castle, then walks up to him to introduce herself and offers to have sex with him.  Even the principal is praying for him and his situation.  Coach Sylvester walks by him again calling him a slut.

In front of Coach Sylvester’s office… The others are giving Kurt a pep talk right before he goes in to tell that they leaked the video.  He then walks up to Coach Sylvester to tell her that they are the ones who leaked the tape.  He is overwhelmed when instead of berating him she says she can’t thank him enough and walks off.  Later they try and figure out why she didn’t get mad.  As they search for the video they posted they come across another video.  This time it’s the Physical video but redone with Sue Sylvester and Olivia Newton-John doing a duet! *Oh and a lil autotune as well* Check it out here. They are pleasantly surprised and watch the video again and again.

At Practice… Mr. Scheuster tells them that it has been a week and no one has come forward.  If they don’t then it is out of his hands and they will have to deal with Principal Figgins.  No one fesses up so he moves on to the assignments.  Rachel goes first.  She then proceeds to show the video she made with Puck for “Run Joey Run” this is supposed to give her a bad reputation as being promiscuous as it stars Puck, Jesse, as well as Finn.  The thing is, the guys didn’t know that the other was in it.  They are pissed and her plan backfires as the three of them walk out in disgust.  Mr. Scheuster just gives her this ‘what were you thinking’ look.

Later that day… Sue is talking with her sister about the video that she did with Olivia Newton-John.  She tells her that she forgot how good it feels to give back .  She then tells her how she explained to the staff that she doesn’t need their approval anymore *by gloating and boasting on how she is a top 700 recording artist!* She has decided to give her share of the profits to the nursing home that her sister is in. She then reads her sister a story and tells her that she will always love her.

In Miss. Pillsbury’s office.. Will comes in with a large bouquet of flowers and apologizes for his behavior.  She can’t forgive him for what he did and tries to remain strong as he pleads.  She thanks him for the flowers.  as he gets up and leaves her office he sees Quinn coming down the hall from her locker.  Then it all makes sense.  He calls her into the practice room and tells her that he knows that she is behind the glist.  At first she refutes it but then has a break down of sorts.  She goes on to say that she has lost her popularity, body, and might as well throw away her education too.  He realized it was her when he was humiliated and had to walk in her shoes.  She is the one that lost the most so she had the most to gain from the list.  She begins to cry as she explains that she never meant to hurt anyone.  He gives her a pep talk telling her that she is better than that and she will be back on top soon.  When Principal Figgins approaches to see if Will has found the culprit he tells the principal that he has talked to all of his students and no told on anyone.  He then says that since the glists have been stopped then his point has been made and they should just move on.  Prinicpal Figgins agrees.

In the Hall… Jesse approaches Rachel at her locker.  She asks if he was mad at her and he goes on to say how before he transferred he asked around about her reputation. Most people didn’t know her or thought she was weird but they thought she could be trusted.  He can’t seem to get past what she did and thinks that he should have been enough for her. She broke his heart.

the final performance of the show is “Total Eclipse of the Heart” by Bonnie Taylor.  They sing this as they show a montage of Rachel in the practice room singing the lead, Ballet rehearsal with Jesse, as well as additional vocals from Jesse and Finn.  As the song comes to an end, they all leave the practice room in disgust, leaving Rachel standing in the middle of the room alone and heartbroken.

Shut The F_ck Up

One thing that I really hate is when people say ‘you know you shouldn’t be eating/drinking that because you’re diabetic’. That really does aggravate me and I am so easily tempted to tell them to shut the fu_k up! Every case of diabetes is different. There is no one disease fits all. Just because your aunt, grand parent, sibling, or parent had it and couldn’t do this or that doesn’t mean that I can’t. Unless you’re a certified dietician/nutritionist and you are familiar with my medical history then again, shut the fu_k up!
I understand that you are trying to help and all and I appreciate the effort but you’re really not. A piece of fruit will raise my levels the same as this piece of candy. People really need to research and learn more about stuff before they try and give out advice. That goes along with other things in life as well.
If you have never been in my situation how can you tell me how to act or not react? Seriously. Think before you speak.